Re-enactors who won America's liberty honored at Stillwater event

Jim Peacock of Stillwater ignites a canon as members of the Albany County Militia celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the "Turning Point" of the American Revolution Saturday, September 18, 2010, at the Stillwater Blockhouse. Photo by (J.S. Carras/The Record)

Nat Austin and Larry Francis, British re-enactors, look for the Colonial forces at a mock battle along the Hudson River at the Blockhouse in Stillwater (Jeff Couch/RiverLife)

STILLWATER -- With flags flying and preparations being made for annual Independence Day celebrations, it is hard to imagine that more than 200 years the Capital Region was known as a hotbed of opposition to the very movement that led to America winning its independence from the British crown.

But when the War of Independence began, residents of counties like Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga who supported establishment of a new nation found themselves outnumbered and had to place their lives at risk.

"Someone who supported independence really put their life on the line," explained Phil Colarusso, one of the founders of a local group of area Revolutionary War re-enactors who are dedicated to bringing history to life. "If the supporters of the British king caught someone, they would be hanged and their house would be burned to the ground."

"I think a lot of times people assume that America was always going to win its fight against the British and our independence was assured -- but it wasn't," Colarusso said. "They really took big risks with their lives. America is a wonderful experiment in liberty but when the Revolutionary War began there was no guarantee that the whole thing would work out."

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Celebrating the sacrifices that were made by the men and women who risked it all to fight a British army that was considered the greatest fighting force of its time, Colarusso and dozens of Revolutionary War re-enactors from throughout the region will be donning their period costumes and gathering at the Stillwater Block House this weekend for a free two-day event that will give families an opportunity to experience firsthand what life was like for those who fought for America's independence.

Known as the 13th Regiment First Company of Albany County, the group will begin assembling this morning and its activities should be in full swing by 10:30 a.m., according to Colarusso. Along with a canon drill and other weapons drills, a period blacksmith will be onsite and there will be Dutch oven demonstrations as well. At 1 p.m., there will be a special pause as the Town Crier will read the Declaration of Indepen- dence, there will be volleys of musket and canon fire to celebrate, and lemonade will be served.

The activities will continue into the evening when canons and muskets will be fired just after sundown at 8:30 p.m. in what is expected to be a visual treat for those coming to see the activities.

For those interested in the supernatural, the evening will also experience the presence of "ghosts" as re-enactors take advantage of the floodlights that project upon the Stillwater Block House, said Colarusso. Those who can't make it during the first day of the encampment - or want to return for even more fun -- will have an opportunity to participate on Sunday as well since the group stays in period costume onsite until 3 p.m. that day.

The 13th Regiment First Company is largely composed of Saratoga County residents from the Stillwater area but members come from throughout the Capital Region. They have a firm policy of keeping all of their events free and open to the public.

"We never charge anything for coming to see what we do," Colarusso noted."We get paid by the smiles we see on the faces of the families that come out to see us."